SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Oct. 10, 2023—Out of a strong field of more than 75 nominations,10 talented mountain resort industry up-and-comers have been selected to participate in the sixth annual SAM Summit Series, a mentorship program aimed at developing future mountain resort industry leaders. The 10 mentees hail from areas of all sizes located around the United States and represent a variety of different departments and roles. 

Throughout the season-long program, the mentees and a group of industry leaders serving as mentors will engage in a series of four professionally facilitated calls on topics directly related to leadership skills and ski area management. Paul Thallner, founder of organizational development and executive coaching firm High Peaks Group, will guide the discussions. 

These conversations will be shared in the pages of SAM Magazine, online at saminfo.com, and on SAM's podcast, PodSAM, starting in 2024. Each mentee will also be paired with one of the mentors to participate in one-on-one calls during the season to discuss career goals.

The 2023-24 Summit Series mentees:

• Paul Barger, Marketing Manager, Lee Canyon, Nev.
• Kyle Brasch, Technology Liaison and Digital Marketing Specialist, Midwest Family Ski Resorts
• Jake Ingle, Senior Slope Maintenance Manager, Steamboat Ski Resort, Colo.
• Brian Schmidt, General Manager, Teton Village Sports at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo.
• Ashley Seier, Director of Marketing, Blue Mountain Resort, Penn.
• Katie Senger, Director of Guest Services and Ticketing, Pleasant Mountain, Maine
• Rosie Waller, Lift Operations Manager, Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort, Calif.
• Boo Morris Wells, Owner, Dry Hill Ski Area, N.Y.
• Rachel Wessel, Employee Services Manager, Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho
• Sara Zappone, Manager of Outdoor Adventure, Winter Park Resort, Colo.

For their full bios, visit our Summit Series Mentee page here.

“We received so many amazing nominations, it was hard to narrow the field down to 10, but also exciting to see so many notable emerging leaders rising up through the ranks,” said SAM publisher Olivia Rowan. “Our group of mentees this year are a strong and varied group, from an IT specialist and a lift manager to the new owner of a small ski hill in New York who wanted to tap the expertise of industry leaders. We can’t wait to dive into these conversations later this month.”

The Summit Series mentors are:

• Amber Broadaway, President and COO, Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah
• Tom Chasse, President and CEO, Schweitzer, Idaho
• Susan Cross, General Manager, Snowmass, Colo.
• Jonathan Davis, General Manager, Perfect North Slopes, Ind.
• Ellen Galbraith, General Manager, Stevens Pass, Wash.
• Kelly Pawlak, President, NSAA
• Jason Perl, General Manager, Boyne Mountain Resort, Mich.
• Chip Seamans, President and GM, Windham Mountain, N.Y.
• Tim Smith, President and GM, Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
• Peter Sonntag, Vice President and GM, Sun Valley Company, Idaho

The Summit Series is brought to you in partnership with our sponsor, MountainGuard, which has supported this leadership development program since its inception.